Last movie you watched......

I don't think you've put enough thought into this comic-book movie, Dick.

 

It would be interesting to go back and watch it again with the approach, "The plot details don't really matter that much," and see how that would change my reaction to it. I'm not sure it would be positive, but it would probably be different. When people are speaking gobbledy-gook really fast at the beginning, and tons of characters are being introduced, it's hard not to think that you should be keeping track.

 

Of the previous Marvel movies, I only saw Iron Man and Iron Man II, but I was able to follow along pretty easily with what was going on. Now, I didn't love the movie, but I don't think it was difficult to follow. At least all the main characters in The Avengers have distinct looks. It's not like, for instance, Game of Thrones where you have 3 millions characters and 90% of them are old, white guys who look very similar.

 

I'm sure the insane amounts of money those movies made, especially The Avengers, more than justifies their existence in the minds of the studios.

Why do you feel such a need to justify your dislike of these movies? You don't like them. Great. Most people who saw them did. I happen to agree with those people.

If I had to guess, I think you went into these with a lousy attitude and it interfered with any chance you had of enjoying them. That is especially true of X-Men: First Class. Your bit about smaller relationships doesn't hold up at all. It is largely a movie about Xavier and Magneto, their lives to the point they meet, the friendship they build and the way it falls apart. The movie isn't just about stopping Shaw from starting a nuclear war. It is about the ideological conflict between Xavier and Magneto and Xavier's attempts to save his friend.

You didn't get it or like it? That's fine. But that doesn't mean it wasn't there.

Avengers, on the other hand, doesn't have much of that. Didn't you say you just don't like action movies? Why would anybody who doesn't like action movies go to see The Avengers with any expectation of enjoying it?

Are these movies more enjoyable for comic book fans? I think so. But X-Men: First Class was more of what you say you were looking for. It was more accessible. You really didn't need to know anything about any of the characters going in.

I tried to watch Melancholia and got bored. I'm not going to waste keystrokes trying to justify that. I just didn't like it. You did. That's what keeps us from having every movie trying to be The Avengers, and that is a good thing.

 

With weird, hard-to-remember names and indistinct accents. I like that show, but, man, it can be a chore.

 

I think that's entirely fair and I understand where you're coming from. You said many posts back that you don't have that ability to turn your brain off and just watch a spectacle for what it is. In the case of many of these superhero movies, you almost have to have that capacity because there are never going to be any meaningful stakes other than the tired old "fate of the world" stuff we see everytime out. I prefer movies that make me think as well but every once in a while I can turn off the brain and just enjoy some explosions and good guys fighting bad guys (so long as it doesn't last more than two hours, which unfortunately is becoming rare). I'd be curious to hear your take after giving it a try and just completely not worrying about the silly plot points.

 

Because it's fun to discuss? Because I'm trying to understand the appeal?

The approach you hint at is what I sometimes hate about the fragmented media age: The ability to never leave one's comfort zone, whether it be political opinion or art.

I would very much enjoy hearing someone like you break down a film like "Melancholia." Not sure why comic book and action fans get their panties in a knot when others critique what they like.

 

I agree with that point, Dick. At the same time, I agree with the other point in oop's post about X-Men: First Class being about a smaller relationship between Xavier and Magneto. That was the type of thing you're apparently looking for in a comic book movie and you still really didn't like it. That being the case, it seems like you're wasting your time watching movies that you're never going to enjoy.

 

And it's definitely true that I don't generally like action movies.

But it's not like I decided I don't like action movies first, then started evaluating them afterward.

I typically don't like them because of the flaws I keep bringing up. Same thing with another genre: romantic comedies. It is possible that there is an action movie or romantic comedy that I would like. And, indeed, there have been some that I have. But the genre formula in both endeavors has allowed in so many flaws that 9 out of 10 of the films just don't work.

In other words, you have the cause-and-effect relationship backward.

 

That's one where I often just give up on trying to keep track of everybody and I enjoy the show and the books.

 

That was a pretty good point he made about "X-Men." In fact, a good script doctor should have probably cut out some characters and really focused even more on that relationship. Made it even more central to the film. Way too much time spent on side characters like January Jones and Jennifer Lawrence when they were not the essence of what was going on. The protagonist and antagonist end up getting lost in the shuffle somewhat.

 

Jennifer Lawrence's character is important, though, as well. It's partially through her relationships with Xavier and Magneto that you can see their relationship strain.